AAR: GMAT in a 3rd World Country and Other Adventures: Winning Admission to Harvard Business School

The GMAT is tough anywhere, but try to imagine taking it in an underdeveloped foreign country where you do not speak the language or know the customs.  Then, imagine getting into Harvard.  Veteran Ambassador Martin Peters overcame a rough Nicaraguan GMAT adventure, a challenging company command, and a looming deployment to win admission not only to Harvard, but to Wharton and Darden as well.  Over the next few weeks, he will share his top lessons learned.

 GMAT (GRE)

The first step towards getting into any business school is taking the GMAT (or as I later learned, the GRE suffices).  My change of command date for my first command was originally in May 2010.  I planned to take the GMAT in late April 2010 because I knew my first months of command would be hectic.  My change of command date was pushed to the left and I took command in early April 2010.  Thus, I ended up skipping my GMAT appointment (and forfeiting my registration fee of $250 because I did not cancel it seven full days prior to the appointment) because of work commitments (my prediction was true – I was insanely busy throughout my entire command).

LESSON:

• Officers need to take the GMAT as early as possible prior to command while keeping in mind the 5 year validity of scores.  This will allow you to:

 1) Take the exam closer your undergraduate education (less material you have forgotten)

2) Assess where to improve, allow time to improve, and retake the test if necessary

3) Give you a back-up plan, lending credence to the phrase “a bird in hand is better than two in the bush,” especially if later events overcome your ability to take it a second time.

 As expected, company command absorbed the great majority of my work and personal time.  Taking the GMAT became a lower priority to training, planning, and other duties.  When my unit received deployment orders to Baghdad, Iraq for July 2011 it reprioritized taking GMAT.  I scheduled another appointment but did not prioritize studying because of work demands.  The week prior to the test I took leave in order to study.  My commander granted me two days, Tuesday and Wednesday.

I went to the library and conducted a cram session using GMAT preparation books I got from the local library.  I am thankful I did, because it is REMARKABLE how much math you will forget.  Embarrassed, I actually forgot how to do long division, but it all quickly came back.   The benefits of studying are obvious: 1) it refreshes your memory on lost subjects and common mistakes, 2) it develops an understanding of how the test is conducted and its format, and 3) it gives you confidence.

LESSON:

• Develop a study plan and stick to it.  It takes discipline!
• If you want to save money, go to the library and look at the available study books available before deciding whether to purchase study guides from www.amazon.com.  I found the library had sufficient material, and while I purchased some guides off Amazon, in hindsight I could have saved $100 (although $100 is a small price to pay for GMAT improvement).
• The Army will reimburse you for one test.  You can choose the GRE ($160), or the GMAT ($250).  All it requires is the official scores (received in the mail three weeks after the test), your CAC card, and a form available at the Education Center.  Within a week, the $250 was direct deposited into my checking account.

After completing the test, the proctor printed out my score.  I received a 640.  While not dismayed, I was not happy with the result.  Given the amount of time I had been out of school (7 years) and the time I studied (2 days) I accepted the score stoically, but I knew I had to get a better score if I wanted to increase my chances of getting into a top school.  From various friends at Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, online forums, a Cameron-Brooks headhunter, the business school websites referencing their median scores, everyone and everything said I needed a 700 or above.

Taking this to heart, I decided to take the GMAT again – but my unit was deploying in early July 2011.  Mid-June to July 2011 would be block leave (I had already purchased tickets to Nicaragua from mid-June until July) and the chain of command said we would be deploying within 72 hours of returning from leave.  I tried to reschedule the GMAT before block leave, but could not because that would conflict Graduate Management Admissions Council’s (GMAC) 31 days between exams rule.  This left me with several options:

Option 1:  Shift my flight to Nicaragua to the right, take the test at Fort Hood, and spend a shorter time in Nicaragua.

Option 2:  Not take the test

Option 3: Take the test in Nicaragua.

I did not shift my flights because I wanted to maximize the time my time in Nicaragua.  Not taking the test again was not an option (or so I thought).  I decided to take the test in Nicaragua.  The only test location in Nicaragua was UCA (Universidad Centro Americana) in Managua, Nicaragua.  I scheduled the test within the first week of vacation so I coordinated it into our trip plans between coming back from Grenada and flying to the Corn Islands.

I conducted a reconnaissance of the site on the morning of the exam (I had an afternoon exam).  This was essential because knowing limited Spanish, it took me a while asking various people for help and having students and officials  leading me to various buildings before an administrator understood what I was trying to do.

She took me to the building and told me it would be open 15 minutes before my appointment time.  I returned to the hotel and in the afternoon I returned to the testing building.  After a couple of difficult math problems, my rhythm, momentum, and morale were broken.  This was compounded by an extremely loud air conditioning, a sticky keyboard, and an ancient computer.  Melodramatically, I reasoned I could be dead in 6 months by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) (even though by this time in the Iraq War it was an extremely small chance) and I should spend time with my wife, and that I could take the GMAT at Camp Victory when I was in Iraq (which did not happen).  I left the test early and incomplete – not the wisest thing and I do not recommend it if you can avoid it.

LESSON:

• Take the GMAT early.  Take it well before  a deployment allowing you time to take it a second time.
• Be aware of the fine print.  You have to wait 31 days between exams and can only take it five times within a calendar year.  This may impact your scheduling.
• Don’t take the GMAT on vacation.  Vacation is your time to relax.  While I did study in Grenada, it was frustrating sitting at a café studying math problems when there was so much going on.
• If you take the GMAT in a foreign country – definitely conduct a recon of the site the day prior, or morning of.  This is more important if you don’t speak the national tongue.
• Ear plugs work wonders.

A post-script to my GMAT adventures was that I took the GRE to apply for an Army fellowship.  I did much better percentile wise on the GRE than on the GMAT.  While in Iraq, I was discussing my application with a family friend who was on the Darden military admissions committee.  She gave me the advice that a 640 was very low and my chances of getting in b school would be tough.  I was dismayed because I figured the rest of my application would bolster my “low” GMAT score –  this broke this notion.  Following this, I came upon this website. I also learned various business schools were accepting the GRE.  I looked it up and found Darden, Wharton, Harvard, and MIT accepted GRE scores.  Like a Phoenix coming out of the ashes, my hopes were resurrected and when I told the family friend about my GRE scores she told me those were well within the range they looked for.

LESSON:

• Research which schools of take the GRE.  You may be able to save yourself an unnecessary test.
• I am not an admissions committee member so I do not know how they view someone turning in only GMAT, only GRE, or both scores.  But if one of your tests is lacking (like my GMAT), and another is good (like my GRE) I reason it could not harm to turn in both.
• I was unable to take the GMAT again at Camp Victory while in Iraq because the Signal University located there closed down as part of the draw down after we were there for two weeks (ignoring the fact I was at a base 50 miles south of Baghdad).  My GRE was my saving grace.   Plan for Murphy’s Law.

Next week we will cover Marty’s advice on resumes and interviews.  For more GMAT stories, check out our previous horror story.  If you are a transitioning veteran interested in learning more, please sign up.